NFL Betting Strategy

Every sport has its stats, but none can rival American Football for the sheer volume of data collected. Every pass is tracked, its angle recorded and distance measured to the millimetre.

This obsession with the statistics can make American Football betting both an interesting and somewhat daunting prospect. With the right mentality and some sensible choices, though, it's possible to cut through the swathes of information and spot a good bet.

NFL Strategy Articles

Super Bowl 50 marked a record in the US state of Nevada for the highest Super Bowl wagering sum of all time. Figures revealed that $132.5 million (£91.4 million) was wagered on the game in 2016, an increase of 12.4%

The Cam Newton-led Carolina Panthers will take the field against "The Sheriff" and his Denver Broncos for Super Bowl 50. This year, the NFL and its fans will be enjoying the 50th Super Bowl 7 February 2016 at Levi's Stadium

When it comes to American Football betting, it's easy to get bogged down in the strategy and overcomplicate your betting system. Where things are a little simpler (if not necessarily easier), however, are in the player performance markets.

The NFL continues to build an audience in the UK, with fixtures set to continue in London until at least 2016. NFL betting markets in the UK are also growing, and whilst many punters tend to concentrate on the obvious

Outright Winner Market

When picking a team in the outright winners market, be sure to focus on win ratios between opponents. The NFL has evolved beyond the days of dominant dynasties, so keeping an eye on recent performances is crucial.

It's easy to find a side's win percentage, but it's important to look a little deeper into the numbers - if an average team has come up against a string of weaker sides, this can inflate their win percentage and make them seem stronger to the less experienced gambler.

Take New Orleans in the middle of the 2012 season, for example. Going into the match against high flyers San Francisco in week nine, the Saints had won three on the bounce and were rated highly to continue their streak. This saw a number of bookies offering much longer odds on San Francisco, even though New Orleans had built their win streak on the backs of weaker teams - those who noticed this backed the former and realised a tidy profit.

Spread Markets

Once you've made a decision on who to back, you might want to consider enhancing your odds by making a bet using a 'spread market'. Similar to handicap betting in many other sports, these allow you to bet with a margin of error, giving your favoured team either an instant advantage, or a stronger team a disadvantage.

The best way to use this strategy is to pick a strong favourite and land them with a reasonably large disadvantage - this allows you to extract the maximum amount of value out of these "safer" bets.

Totals Market

Another market worth considering for American football newcomers is the totals market, which deals with the total number of points scored during a match. To make the most out of this market, take a look at the teams' offensive and defensive records and see how the key players match up in order to determine whether or not the match is likely to be a high scorer.

As you can see, there are plenty of different strategies to try out when it comes to American football betting. Whether you prefer to play it safe with the outright winner market or feel like trying out the spreads, NFL markets are available for all the biggest games.

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